Archives for May 2011

Today’s game is an inside game designed for kids to be paired up and work together. The objective is to help children work together and lead up to a lesson on serving or helping.

This game requires partners (in a situation with an unequal number, it is OK for a group to have 3 people). One partner is blindfolded and will be completing the task at hand, while the other partner can see and give instructions, but is not allowed to touch any of the puzzle pieces.

The goal of the game is for partners to work cooperatively to complete a puzzle. They are to take turns working on the puzzle – one blindfolded and one sighted. The facilitator can determine when the partners will alternate. They may trade places after 2-3 minutes have passed or trade places after successfully connecting or placing 4 puzzle pieces.

Variations of this game could be used as separate tasks to be completed or additional stations in a rotation around the room. The variations are only limited by your imagination. A couple of activities that utilize this same blindfolded partner setup are coloring in the lines, cutting simple shapes out of poster board, tying a shoe, moving an item from one place to the other. There are also games or competitions that can be played by asking one partner to lead the blindfolded partner to a certain location.

Every Thursday of this summer, kids will be playing OMC at CentriKid Camps. It is the signature game of our recreation program that involves the whole camp! You may have seen the recently released OMC special editions …. but here is where it all starts…

OMC stands for Organized Mass Chaos, and that is just what it is. Every player knows exactly what task he is doing, but each player in the game is doing something different. Players attempt to complete as many tasks as possible (one task at a time), but players are interrupted to help other players complete their tasks during the game.

One description of OMC that I love is that it “looks like an ant bed was stirred up!”

OMC is best when played in a large space outside with a few hundred participants, however it can be adapted to play inside if weather or darkness do not allow outside play. Plan to use a big space like a gym or large fellowship hall. This is not a classroom game!

Inside the package for OMC | The Official Game are playing cards and a DVD with videos to help get you prepared. All the rules, a setup diagram, and a supply list are included on the DVD-ROM portion of the disc. And something left off the disc, but available for free download here or at facebook.com/CentriKid is a t-shirt design for scoring OMC that you can use at your VBS or DNow event.

As everyone knows – or at least everyone who is anyone and reads this blog – the two biggest events of the year are just around the corner: CentriKID Camp and VBS!

While I am privileged to work with the great guys and gals in the CentriKID world, my main responsibility at LifeWay is VBS (Vacation Bible School) training and events. By now VBS 2011 events are behind us and most of the training is history as well, so let the adventure (the Big Apple Adventure) begin!

VBS is not the newest kid on the block – in fact it has been around since 1898 – but the ministry continues to result in some of the greatest evangelistic opportunities many churches have all year. Part of my job is to collect statistical data on, what else, but VBS. Each year we gather information from approximately 26,000 churches, and the info is amazing.

Did you know that approximately three million children, teens, and adults register for VBS each year? Did you know that each year there are between 80,000 and 100,000 professions of faith during the weeks of VBS? Did you know that approximately 10 percent of those registering claim to be unchurched, yet provide their name, address, telephone number, and e-mail address for follow up and relationship building? Did you know that each year between 2,000 and 3,000 people commit their lives to vocational ministry as a result of VBS?

There are a lot of lives being transformed as a result of the proclamation of the Gospel through VBS.

VBS requires a lot of work and a huge commitment on the part of a congregation, but for me these stats make it all worth while.

How about you? What will you be involved in this summer that results in so much transformation? I hope when someone in your church says, “We need more VBS workers,” you will be the first in line for the adventure.

As you have been getting ready for camp this summer I know you have been thinking about and preparing for a host of leadership responsibilities. If you have not thought of yourself as a leader, let me encourage you to begin to do that now. Each of you are leaders this summer. Whether you are leading staff or leading a track and Bible study of kids, you are a leader. Over the years I have read a host of leadership books from John Maxwell to Lee Cockrell and with each book I have learned something. So let me share 4 essential leadership tips as you begin the summer:

Be a person of character – In our office we hire for three things in this order: Character, Chemistry, Competency. Not originally mine but we have embraced it and made it our own. Character speaks not about what you do but who you are. It is the core of your being. I love the golf analogy that a person of character, when playing golf, takes the extra stroke even when no one can see them. In simple terms it is who you are when no one is watching you. It is living what you say and it is the most important aspect of leadership.

People are important – In everything you do working with people is vital to success. My mother used to say “you get more from honey than vinegar.” Great leaders have earned the respect of people. They put other first. They are servants to those they lead and are more concerned how to help others than themselves.

Leaders work hard – In anything you do hard work is a key principle of success. Every great athlete put in more time at the gym than his or her teammates. Every great CEO was in the office first and most often leaves last. In everything you do, doing it well requires hard work and sacrifice. Every director needs someone they can go to when they have something that needs to be done who they know will do it with a smile, even if it requires them to stay up later than everyone else. Being a great Bible study leader requires spending time with kids during hang time, being with the church you host each evening, greeting kids before worship, parties and I can’t wait. There is simply no substitute for hard work.

Spend time with God – In the fast pace camp schedule there can be little “free time,” and what can often take a back seat is time with God. You simply can’t give what you don’t have, so making time for Him each day is vital to your leadership success. Spending time with him builds your character, helps you see the importance of people, and helps you see the eternal importance of your work this summer, which drives us all to work hard. HE makes you a better leader.